RC SNUBBER FILTERS

RC Snubber Filters consist of a capacitor and resistor connected in series across a switch which is controlling an inductive load.

For reactive power compensation and mainly for voltage regulation purposes, shunt reactors are used at different voltage levels in the electric utility. During the turn-off action of the breaker or contactor considerable huge over-voltages are created due to sudden interrupt of an inductive current. In order to prevent any damage to system equipment, high frequency transient overvoltage surge suppressors, so called RC snubber filters are used in parallel with shunt reactors or in any other inductive loads as in protection of motors, transformers and generators from steep wave-front, short time rise, high magnitude, spikes, surges transient over-voltages and circuit switching. They clamp the voltage overshoot due to the current interruption and damp out the oscillations safely.

Advantages

Longer insulation lifetime for machinery

Protects against insulation failures between windings

Protects against arcs between the contacts of vacuum circuit breakers and other switchgear caused by high frequency over voltage

Protects against high frequency over voltage specifically caused by arc furnaces

Eliminates downtime due to insulation failures

Eliminates multiple pre and re-strike transients of vacuum and other switching devices

Three and single phase

Application Areas

Large motors

Fans

Induction and arc furnaces

Crushers

Motor-Generator sets

Conveyors

Generators

Shunt reactors

Mine winders

Mills

Refrigeration

Substations

Auxiliary Supplies

Pumps

Dry type transformers

* Hilkar provides engineering services to assign R and C values as per system parameters.